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U.S. Armed Forces Institute Basic Radio Code (1942) (u/l by AF2Z)

Topics: AF2Z, Morse Code, code, radio, telegraph, radio telegraph, code practice, 78-RPM, phonograph records, U.S. Army, Signal Corps, World War II

Recordings of 78-RPM Morse Code training records, prepared by the U.S. "Special Service Division, S.O.S., War Department". Manufactured by Allied Record Mfg Co., Hollywood, Calif. (See images of record labels.) There is no date on the recordings but judging by the content ("CORREGIDOR... Get the message through!...") the estimated year of manufacture is probably 1942 or 1943.

The recorded material consists of a code aptitude test, introduction to Morse Code letters and numbers, and training at various speeds up to 16 WPM. There were originally 22 records (44 sides) in the collection but the final one is missing here.

These re-recordings of the original phonograph records have been processed in order to remove some of the disc surface noise.

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Reviewer: msmarko - - August 27, 2020
Subject: The codes are different for the same letters! I don't get it.

On # 10 Side 5B - Unit II Single (Cont.) - 05:09 it sounds like the letters are coded inconsistently. For example at 00:53 seconds yoke is .... (4 dis) then right after it, at 01:00 minute victor is also .... (4 dis). What gives?

Reviewer: Kenny Schroeder - - March 31, 2020
Subject: I have something like this.

I’ve got a couple of records like this but there from the navy and the date for these are 1951. Really cool

Reviewer: Om_Audio - - February 14, 2016
Subject: thanks

In response to the comment about the speed discrepancy: all it would take is a record player that rotated at incorrect speed and presto- rated code speeds do not align. Hopefully they were played with a stroboscopic reference player but regardless these are great. Morse is used extensively by ham radio operators myself included. These materials are a great resource. Would be nice to have the last record I hope someone provides it at some point.

Reviewer: spdogg - - February 25, 2013
Subject: Basic radio codes

I have basic radio codes records 1-12 and 13-22, from the United State Armed Forces Insitute. They came from a relative and I'm looking to see how much they are worth. The records are in great condition whereas the binder is in good condition. Thanks.

SP

Reviewer: GW6WN - - January 21, 2013
Subject: A UK Morse Code Enthusiast

This is a great treasure of historical audio & teaching. As useful today as it was way back in 1944!
The only thing I would change (if it were possible) would be a more familiar Phonetic Reference.

The teaching and the code is GREAT!

Thank you to AF2Z for uploading his collection

NOW Then, has anyone got a copy of that final record to complete the collection??

Reviewer: elmerjfudd21 - - January 15, 2013
Subject: great files

these are great. I am learning code with them now. c bryan should be corrected. cw is used more often then you might think. cw can be heard across the hf, vhf, and uhf bands. cw is one of the few codes allowed by the fcc to ID a voice transmitter. as such it is used to ID most vhf and uhf repeaters. on the hf and even vhf bands you can find simplex cw rag chew as well as world wide cw contesting. and in some cases news broadcasts in cw. it fell in popularity for a long time but it like ax.25 packet radio is widly used for emergency communication opps.

Reviewer: c bryan - - November 11, 2011
Subject: Good practice -

I learned code in the Army, but not from these records. They are machine sent and very crisp. There is no background static or noise - nor music, like it could be copying real code. Hardly anybody uses this antiquated method of communication anymore these days, and one has to keep in practice to take it down. Once Morse was a valuable talent to master; now it's a way to keep one's brain sharp. Hearing this from a speaker is not like having a large rubber-cup headset clamped to your head either. This is just fun to play with for a while.

Reviewer: aw. Megalon - - August 25, 2009
Subject: Morse code

Come to say, though I don't have an interest in Morse code, I was searching for the beeps to make a SOS distress signal for my project. I couldn't find a complete sample so I had to construct one and your collection was my first and last hit.
I'm sure that there are (amateur)sailors that find an interest in knowing these signals. I'm glad you posted this, cheers.

Reviewer: drewaf2z - - August 7, 2009
Subject: Learning Morse Code

The labeled code speeds are actually somewhat slower than what is heard in the recordings. I'm not sure why that would be the case, unless there was a different standard for calculating WPM at the time these recordings were made.

There have been nearly 1,000 downloads of these recordings in the first year, so I guess people find them to be somewhat interesting. If you have actually tried o learn Morse Code from these recordings please post your comments.

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